City to Close Intersection of MLK, Main, Howard and Perkins for Innerbelt Project and Old Main Sewer Separation

City of Akron Press Release
From the desk of Ellen Lander Nischt, Press Secretary
Published: 01-26-2017

Akron, Ohio, January 26, 2017 – The intersection of Main, Howard, and Perkins Streets and Martin Luther King Boulevard will be closed—starting Monday, February 6, 2017—to facilitate the beginning of the City's work on the first phase of the Innerbelt Project on SR59. This project, known as the Oak Park Renewal Project, will last for an estimated six months and will exponentially increase the safety of both the intersection and SR 59.

“The SR 59 corridor, along with the intersection where SR 59 and North Main Street meet, have the highest crash rates in the area,” said John Moore, Director of Public Service. “Once this project is complete, the corridor and that intersection will be much safer for both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.”

The removal of the Innnerbelt has been named the Oak Park Renewal Project because it will serve to reconnect the historic Oak Park neighborhood (around Glendale cemetery) to Downtown Akron. When the Innerbelt was certified in 1969, it artificially cut this area off from the City’s urban core, leading to disinvestment. In addition to the significant safety benefits, the Oak Park Renewal Project will reverse that trend and will better link Downtown with these adjoining neighborhoods. Future uses being considered for the restored space include potential redevelopment as a residential area with green space, and possibly the construction of a water feature.

In conjunction with the closure for the Oak Park Renewal project, the City of Akron will be performing an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated sewer separation project on the same intersection that will eliminate 39 combined sewer overflows or 4.1 million gallons of overflow in a typical year. The work is part of the Old Main Sewer Separation (CSO Rack 21), currently taking place in that section of town.

“We worked diligently to ensure that the intersection was only closed one time and for the shortest duration possible,” said Mayor Dan Horrigan. “The City committed to improving our public infrastructure, while simultaneously enhancing public safety.”

Signs alerting drivers to the upcoming closure will be posted in the area starting this week. Information about the closure along with maps showing different detours will be available at DriveAkron.com. For questions or concerns, please contact the Mayor’s Action Center at (330) 375-2311 or 3-1-1.